Pain, Pleasure and Resistance; Three Sides of an Equilateral Triangle: with reference to Jamaica Kincaid's “The Autobiography of My Mother”

Abstract

According to the Bible, the whole human race evolved through the pleasure of the forbidden. It is natural that every human has an inborn instinct for pleasure particularly the forbidden. Human's pursuit for pleasure is for the sake of pleasure itself. Pleasure also serves as a survival tool. When pain exceeds its tolerable limits and when there is no valid reason for survival, pleasure becomes a tool for survival. The protagonist in Jamaica Kincaid's “The Autobiography of My Mother” pursues pleasure for various reasons. For Xuela, pleasure is a survival tool in a loveless world. To pursue mere sensual pleasure is to overcome pain and serve all strong emotional ties. To pursue forbidden pleasure is to show resistance against authority. An equilateral triangle has three equal sides, angles and a stable structure. Similarly pain, pleasure and resistance forms three sides of an equilateral triangle i.e. Xuela's life. The impact created by one element on the other and the stability which the protagonist derives from these elements are discussed in the paper.